This invention relates generally to toilet training devices. More particularly, the invention relates to a toilet training device that plays a musical melody when it receives excrement and that is easier for manufacturers to assemble.
The failure to toilet train a child of a suitable age can be emotionally trying for both the child and parent (or other care-provider). A child who is old enough to control her or his bladder and bowl movements, but has not come to understand toilet training, may unnecessarily suffer not only problems associated with poor hygiene, such as skin irritation, but also substantial inconvenience and often embarrassment. Also, in such a case, the parent must contend longer with the inconvenience of diapers.
Children (or even pets) do not intuitively know that using a toilet (or other proper receptacle) to relieve both solid or liquid waste (hereafter "excrement") is a preferred behavior. In order to teach and motivate children of a suitable age to use the toilet, it is useful to help them to understand that use of the toilet is a proper behavior, even though the children may not yet be able comprehend oral instructions. At least one scholarly study has shown that, with proper training, the time for teaching a child of a suitable age (e.g., 20 months or older) to use a toilet can be significantly reduced. See, for example, the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, Volume 15, 1974, pages 105-109. Unfortunately, many presently available devices to help train children to use a toilet are bulky, expensive, unreliable, or too expensive.